Abstract

Aims To examine differences in personal hygiene and in the perception of social rejection between children in reception centers and children living in a family setting.

Background Little attention has been paid to the influence of the family as a unit on the personal hygiene behaviors of children.

Design Cross-sectional study.

Methods Children aged between 7-12 years were recruited from 2015 through 2017 from two centers in the Network of State Care Centers and from three schools selected from a rural, suburban and urban setting in the same region. A validated questionnaire on child personal hygiene habits was completed by 51 children in reception centers and 454 in normal families.

Results Data shows worse results for the majority personal hygiene habits studied in children in reception centers than in children living in families. Multiple logistic regressions showed lower frequency of body washing, hand washing after defecating, use of soap in hand washing, tooth brushing, and dentist visits during the previous year. Also, a significantly higher proportion of children in reception centers had experienced social rejection for being dirty and smelling bad in comparison to the children living in families.

Conclusions Deficient hygiene habits were observed in the offspring of families affected by the main features of social inequality, who were more likely to perceive social rejection for this reason and less likely to consider their family as the greatest influence on their personal hygiene practices. Promoting family practices designed to improve personal hygiene habits are needed specially in vulnerable families.

Copyright

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